Australia's longest-running radio show celebrates 80 years of rural storytelling

Tuesday 2 DecemberTue 2 Dec 2025 at 7:12pm

Australia's longest-running radio show is celebrating 80 years on air, and while so much has changed in farming and broadcasting, the core of The Country Hour remains the same.

On December 3, 1945, not long after the end of World War II, former Hunter Valley auctioneer Dick Sneddon launched the then-national program:

"Hello everyone, this is Dick Sneddon of The Country Hour, with a program for the farm families of Australia."

Three black and white photos; 1) a man being interviewed 2) reporter sitting on a fence with a microphone, 3) chook show judging — Former cattle auctioneer Dick Sneddon, from Scone, NSW, became the first voice of The Country Hour. (ABC Archives)

The Guinness World Records officially recognises The Country Hour as being Australia's longest-running radio program.

The value of Australian agriculture is expected to tip $100 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, but in 1945 there was a lot to learn.

Under the government's soldier settlement scheme, many returning soldiers were finding a new life on the land, learning how to farm to feed and clothe a hungry, post-war Australia — and export our produce around the world.

The Country Hour was a way to communicate agricultural information to this new generation of farmers.

The head of the ABC's rural department at the time, John Douglass, said the show brief was:

"To present the countryman's problems in such a way as to create a more sympathetic understanding between the city and the country."

A group of people standing in high vis in a fruit packing shed. — Victorian Country Hour host Warwick Long (centre) with international Nuffield scholars in a fruit packing shed at Ardmona. (Supplied: Warwick Long)

Somewhere along the way, The Country Hour became a lunchtime ritual.

"I listen religiously every day," Nobby McMahon from Bairnsdale, Victoria told ABC Rural.

"I just love it because it tells all the country people what's happening around in the farming fraternity: where the rain is, all the market reports — it's a great hour!"

The more things change, the more they stay the same

The national show soon broke out into more localised editions of The Country Hour in each state and territory, and laid the foundation for what ABC Rural has grown to today.

All of these years later, we are still talking about issues of food security, weather, markets and a whole lot more at midday each weekday on The Country Hour.

A man in a radio headset interviewing another man. — Mike Pritchard always had a passion for sharing rural stories. (ABC Rural: Amelia Bernasconi)

Former ABC Upper Hunter rural reporter Mike Pritchard said it was a privilege to be in the rural team for more than 30 years.

"It's still the case today, in the city a lot of people don't quite understand the rural aspect but [The Country Hour] did play a big role in that."

Mr Pritchard himself, like so many rural reporters, grew up on the land.

He said that background understanding helped him gained the trust of his interviewees to share their stories.

"The ABC wanted you to get out into the field as much as you could so you were with the farmers and I think that built a lot of respect for the rural [team]."

a woman, right with headphones and holding a microphone talks to a man with a bush hat in a kitchen — NSW Country Hour reporter Kim Honan took the program to the kitchen table, interviewing Denny Farley on the Farley dairy farm at Pola Creek, near Kempsey, during the May 2009 floods.

Rural reporting can be a joy, such as celebrating the good times with farmers, but we know too well the next drought, flood or other natural disaster could be just around the corner.

Mr Pritchard said reporting on those disasters was always difficult.

"You can see the hardship on their faces, and the devastation it's caused.

"They would give you their story and how it was impacting on them and their families … and you would share that story and give people an understanding of what they're going through but you could drive away from that property, look in the rear-view mirror.

"You had your story and they were still left with the devastation and hurt.

"And that was hard to bear."

A reporter crouches down filming in the middle of flowers. — Rural reporters in 2025 are multiskilled; Megan Hughes is pictured here filming for ABC TV. (ABC South East SA: Bec Whetham)

From The Country Hour's core of radio, the ABC's network of rural reporters also file to television and online platforms.

"It's just as significant, or more so today, that we have rural reporters because we do specialise in those rural stories and unless you're a farmer or involved in it, you sort of don't get the full understanding of the contribution that rural makes," Mr Pritchard said.

'Collaboration of thoughts'

Agronomist Greg Rummery from Walgett, NSW said it was "a big effort" to reach the 80-year milestone.

"I'd hate to think how many times I've had a chat on the Country Hour — about a variety of topics," he laughed.

But he is an avid listener too.

Despite doing the early morning rounds on various weather websites (like most farmers), Mr Rummery always tries to tune in for the Bureau of Meteorology's on-air weather update.

A man in a blue shirt and hat standing in a crop. — Greg Rummery has been a regular voice on the NSW Country Hour and local rural reports for many years. (Supplied: Greg Rummery)

"I often dial in at 12:30pm to catch the weather that's given to us with a human voice,"

he said.

"I think it's really important to get the human interpretation rather than just looking at forecast on a computer screen, particularly on the big changes, like when you're in dry years and you're sweating on a rain event."

He describes farming as a variable and often tough environment, but said the agricultural industry had always been good at sharing information.

Illustration of 80 with the 0 in the shape of a windmill. Below: The Country Hour; celebrating 80 years of telling rural stories — The Country Hour is Australia's longest-running radio show. (ABC)

"Working in agriculture and trying to stay at the forefront of production and profitability, you should always be looking for the next thing and you should always be looking at what you might need to change," Mr Rummery said.

"And so it's programs like The Country Hour that allow those issues to be aired and helps that collaboration of thoughts.

"If you've got something going good, share that.

"The more people that can do something better or improve it, can only make places like Walgett and other little regional communities better places to be."

Two women and a man all in hats smile to camera. — Governor-General Sam Mostyn takes a selfie with reporter Amelia Bernasconi and NSW Country Hour's Michael Condon at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. (Supplied: Sam Mostyn)

'Deep and enduring connection'

ABC director of news Justin Stevens congratulated The Country Hour on its "rich history" and said the regional presence of ABC had been expanded in recent years.

"The Country Hour exemplifies the ABC's deep and enduring connection with rural and regional Australia, which remains integral to our service and purpose," he said.

"ABC now has around 600 employees working and living in rural and regional Australia across 56 locations and produces more than 800 hours of unique regional radio every week.

A man in headphones holding a microphone smiles to camera, cows behind him — Northern Territory Country Hour presenter Matt Brann set up for an outside broadcast. (ABC Rural)

"The seven state and territory editions of The Country Hour reflect the voices and views of regional and rural Australians and continue to provide a unique and valuable service.